1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is directed to a safe, non-toxic, and effective insect repellent concentrate formulation comprising a plurality of active components, including natural essential oils and other natural plant derivatives, which may be diluted in an aqueous carrier solution to obtain an effective concentration which may be safely and liberally applied to a desired area.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mankind has been, literally, plagued by all variety of insects, walking, crawling, swimming, and/or flying since the dawn of time. Mankind has also deployed a variety of means of to eradicate or repel these perceived pests, or both.
In recent history, a number of chemical insecticides have been formulated for agricultural, commercial, and even personal application. A common drawback too many of these formulations is that, while perhaps effective in eradicating or repelling one or more of the intended pests, they also result in the introduction of unnatural toxins into our environment, often with significant side effects. Perhaps the most well know example is the use of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, or DDT, which was widely used during the second world war to effect widespread elimination of mosquitoes, and subsequently eliminating instances of malaria in vast portions of the world. Unfortunately, it was later discovered that the residual DDT was also adversely affecting the population of large birds of prey, including the American Eagle, among others. Specifically, it was determined that DDT was causing a thinning of the shells and decrease in healthy hatchlings to sustain the populations, which led to widespread bans on the application of DDT in many concerns of the earth.
A common component in many chemical insecticides in use today is pyrethrin which, while considered to be amongst the safest insecticides, is known to irritate eyes, skin, and respiratory systems in humans. In addition, pyrethrin is known to be particularly harmful to aquatic life.
Amongst the numerous issues associated with such chemical insecticides are the safe storage, transport, and handling of many of these chemicals due to the potential hazards they present. As a result, special licenses are often required for personnel transporting and/or applying such chemicals. In addition, special permits are required to store many of these chemicals, not only by the manufacturer and distributor, but by the home or business owner on whose property small quantities, e.g. 55 gallon drums, of a chemical insecticide is temporarily stored for intermittent application on the property. The license and permitting requirements demonstrate not only the hazardous nature of many of these chemical insecticides, but are indicative of additional costs which occur in utilizing such insecticides as a result of specialized training, certification programs, specialized equipment, and/or regulatory oversight.
All of the foregoing precautions in place for storage, transport, and handling of chemical insecticides do not eliminate the airborne hazard presented upon application, as many of these chemicals are designed to be applied by spray or misting systems. Thus, even with all of the precautions to prevent unwanted release of these chemical insecticides into the environment, many of these chemicals are simply sprayed out into the air and are permitted to land where they may, including neighboring property and, perhaps, on the neighbors themselves.
In view of the foregoing, various non-toxic alternatives to such highly toxic insecticides have been developed to either eradicate or repel nuisance insects, such as mosquitoes. One product which has been utilized is the use of candles scented with citronella which, when burned, are intended to repel mosquitoes. However, the effectiveness of this alternative is believed to be minimal, if in fact, effective at all.
As such, it would be beneficial to provide an insect repellent formulation which is non-toxic to the people, plants, and other animals which may be exposed to areas of application. The use of all natural components, or essentially all natural components would also be helpful, thereby eliminating or at least minimizing the production of potentially harmful by-products in the process. A further benefit may be obtained from an insect repellent formulation that comprises long lasting effects, thereby limiting the need for frequent re-application to treated areas.